Americans United - Tony Perkinshttps://www.au.org/resources/religious-right/tony-perkins
enSame-Sex Showdownhttps://www.au.org/church-state/march-2015-church-state/featured/same-sex-showdown
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Two days after the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear a slew of cases concerning marriage equality, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins appeared on the Fox News Channel to offer some thoughts. They weren’t very original.</p><p>“If we take down the states’ rights to define marriage for public-policy purposes – if two people who love each other can get married – I guess Ted’s OK with a story out of <em>New York</em> magazine this week that an 18-year-old daughter wants to marry her biological father,” asserted Perkins.</p><p>The “Ted” Perkins referred to was Theodore Olson, former U.S. solicitor general who has argued successfully in court on behalf of marriage equality. Olson did not find the comparison convincing.</p><p>"I mean, it’s very easy to say the sky is going to fall,” Olson remarked. “We’re now talking about something that’s permitted in 36 states – or 37, depending on South Dakota last week – and the District of Columbia. No harm whatsoever has been done to heterosexual marriage as a result.”</p><p>The exchange was something of a microcosm for the long-running debate over same-sex marriage. Olson calmly discussed things like the 14th Amendment and the role of the courts in upholding core rights. Perkins blathered about incest.</p><p>Although the argument is likely to be more reasoned at the Supreme Court, the debate in the court of public opinion will probably continue to be heated and emotional. And for the Religious Right, the stakes are very high.</p><p>Members of that theocratic movement have seen a steady erosion of support for their position. Massachusetts was the first state to authorize same-sex marriage in 2004. In the 11 years since then, the country has seen a seismic shift of public opinion on the matter. Polls now show majority support for marriage equality nationwide, and among younger residents, the polls are lopsided in favor of marriage equality.</p><p>Attitudes are changing even in Bible Belt states. In Alabama, a recent poll showed a 50-50 split.</p><p>The conservative Supreme Court has been inching toward an embrace of marriage equality. In a pair of rulings from 2013, the high court struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that in part defined marriage for federal purposes as an arrangement between one man and one woman; the court also allowed a lower court ruling invalidating Prop. 8, a California ban on same-sex marriage, to stand.</p><p>But in those rulings the high court did not affirmatively state that same-sex marriage must be permitted nationwide. However, lower federal courts quickly interpreted the high court’s actions that way and began striking down state-imposed bans on same-sex marriage.</p><p>The practice is now legal in a majority of states, and, until recently, marriage equality had won a string of rulings in federal appeals courts.</p><p>That changed in November when the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. That ruling conflicted with others, creating a split and inviting Supreme Court intervention.</p><p>The high court accepted that invitation the afternoon of Jan. 16. In a brief order, the court announced it will hear arguments in the four cases from the 6th Circuit. The quartet of legal challenges will be consolidated into one case that will most likely carry the name of the Ohio ruling – <em>Obergefell v. Hodges. </em></p><p>In its order, the high court said arguments will be limited to two questions: Does the 14th Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex? And does the 14th Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed in another state? (Passed in the post-Civil War era, the 14th Amendment, among other things, guarantees “equal protection of the laws” for all citizens.)</p><p>Americans United issued a statement urging the justices to resolve the issue by applying the separation of church and state. For too long, AU opined, the issue of marriage equality has been bogged down by religious fundamentalists making explicitly sectarian arguments that appeal to the Bible or dictates by church leaders.</p><p>“At times, the discussion over marriage equality in this country has sounded more like a debate among medieval clerics than deliberations in a modern, secular democracy,” said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn. “Opponents of same-sex marriage too often point to holy books and pronouncements by religious leaders to make their case. That might fly in a theocracy, but it should have no weight in America.”</p><p>Not surprisingly, Religious Right groups felt differently. The American Family Association went so far as to issue a press release demanding that Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan recuse themselves from the case because both of them have presided at same-sex weddings.</p><p>“Both of these justices’ personal and private actions that actively endorse gay marriage clearly indicate how they would vote on same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court,” blustered AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Both Kagan and Ginsburg have not only been partial to same-sex marriage but they have also proven themselves to be activists in favor of it.”</p><p>Kagan presided at a Maryland same-sex ceremony in September 2014, and Ginsburg did the same in Washington D.C., in August 2013. Same-sex marriage was legal in both jurisdictions at the time.</p><p>The AFA also praised Roy Moore, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who wrote a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley insisting that the state can ignore the U.S. Supreme Court, should it rule in favor of same-sex marriage. (See “People &amp; Events” for more on this.)</p><p>How will the court rule? There’s no shortage of pundits willing to offer an opinion on that. Most observers point to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy as the crucial swing vote. Kennedy has ruled in favor of LGBT rights in the past and seems sympathetic to arguments that denial of marriage relegates gays to second-class citizenship.</p><p>But Kennedy’s vote can’t be taken for granted. In other contexts he has seemed open to states’ rights arguments and wary of overreaching federal power.</p><p>On a more practical level, a ruling allowing states to resurrect bans on same-sex marriage would spawn no small amount of chaos. Hard figures are difficult to come by, but it’s likely that thousands of same-sex couples have legally married in dozens of states where courts have invalidated bans. What would happen to these unions? What would be the status of the children living in them? Would these couples suddenly lose the many benefits married couples enjoy, or could they be somehow grandfathered in?</p><p>Conversely, a decision extending same-sex marriage nationwide would also spark fallout. It will undoubtedly lead to more litigation. Some owners of secular businesses and even government employees are insisting that they have a “religious freedom” right to deny service to same-sex couples. A high court ruling in favor of marriage equality will surely intensify that debate.</p><p>The Supreme Court is likely to hear the arguments in April with a decision to follow by the end of June. Already there is talk of how the decision, no matter which way it falls, might affect the 2016 presidential cam­paign.</p><p>One possible Republican contender, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, has already weighed in. Speaking on a right-wing radio show Jan. 20, Huckabee echoed Alabama’s Moore with the unusual view that states can ignore Supreme Court rulings.</p><p>“One thing I am angry about though...is this notion of judicial supremacy, where if the court makes a decision, I hear governors and even some aspirants to the presidency say, ‘Well, that’s settled, it’s the law of the land,’” fumed Huckabee. “No, it’s not the law of the land.”</p><p>The case is also likely to attract the attention of a lot of public-interest groups. Americans United, which has weighed in on all of the same-sex marriage cases in the lower courts, will offer the Supreme Court some advice as well through a friend-of-the-court brief. </p><p>“Our bottom line is simple,” said AU’s Lynn. “Opponents of same-sex marriage have had plenty of time to come up with an argument beyond ‘The Bible says it’s wrong’ or ‘My pastor doesn’t like it.’ They haven’t been able to do it. That means they should lose.” </p></div></div><a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><h3 >Supreme Court Accepts Marriage- Equality Cases In What’s Shaping Up To Be An Epic ‘Culture War’&nbsp;Battle</h3><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Featured</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage-including-same-sex-marriage">Marriage (including same-sex Marriage)</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10903" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lgbt-rights">LGBT rights</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix long-label"><div class="field-label">Religious Right Organization:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/resources/religious-right/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix long-label"><div class="field-label">Religious Right People:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/resources/religious-right/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span></div></div>Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:15:00 +0000Timothy Ritz10904 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/march-2015-church-state/featured/same-sex-showdown#commentsRadical Reaction: Extremist Groups Enraged By Supreme Court’s Action On Marriage Equality https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/radical-reaction-extremist-groups-enraged-by-supreme-court-s-action-on
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The ruling has obvious implications for the fate of other marriage equality suits still pending in lower courts. By rejecting these appeals, the high court has indicated that for now it’s not interested in delving into the matter.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday morning, the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/us/denying-review-justices-clear-way-for-gay-marriage-in-5-states.html?_r=0">dealt a major blow</a> to opponents of marriage equality. It refused to hear every one of the appeals filed by five states whose same-sex marriage bans have been struck down in lower courts; that means the bans remain off the books, and marriage equality is in effect in these states.</p><p>The ruling has obvious implications for the fate of other marriage equality suits still pending in lower courts. By rejecting these appeals, the high court has indicated that for now it’s not interested in delving into the matter.</p><p>That displeased the Religious Right. Leaders of several groups and their political allies reacted to yesterday’s news with predictable fury; they seem convinced that the court’s failure to act heralds a new age of moral decline.<br /><br />The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins issued <a href="http://www.frc.org/newsroom/supreme-court-refuses-to-take-up-marriage-cases-knowing-nation-will-not-accept-nationwide-redefinition-of-marriage">a statement</a> making a series of bizarre predictions.</p><p>“The Court decision ensures that the debate over natural marriage will continue and the good news is that time is not on the side of those who want to redefine marriage,” Perkins blustered. “As more states are forced to redefine marriage, contrary to nature and directly in conflict with the will of millions, more Americans will see and experience attacks on their religious freedom. Parents will find a wedge being driven between them and their children as school curriculum is changed to contradict the morals parents are teaching their children. As more and more people lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but celebrate same-sex marriage, Americans will see the true goal, which is for activists to use the Court to impose a redefinition of natural marriage on the entire nation.”</p><p>He added, “Congress should respond to today's announcement by moving forward with the State Marriage Defense Act, which is consistent with last year's <em>Windsor</em> ruling and ensures that the federal government in its definition of marriage respects the duly enacted marriage laws of the states.”<br /><br />The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) expressed similar sentiments on its official Twitter account, where it called for a new constitutional amendment banning marriage equality.<br /><br />“It is critical not only to marriage but to the republican form of government to amend the Constitution to reaffirm the meaning of #marriage,” it <a href="https://twitter.com/NOMupdate/status/519185353811714049">declared</a>. A <a href="https://twitter.com/NOMupdate/status/519306139818033152">later tweet</a> promised, “NOM will continue to devote all our energy &amp; resources to stand for the truth of marriage, and to advocate the importance of preserving it.”<br /><br />Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservatives-decry-supreme-courts-move-on-gay-marriage/2014/10/06/ba98863c-4d89-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html">has already announced</a> intentions to propose such an amendment in the Senate – where it will almost certainly wither. In Oklahoma, one of the states where marriage equality is now the law, Gov. Mary Fallin (R) was highly perturbed.</p><p>“The will of the people has now been overridden by unelected federal justices, accountable to no one,” Fallin said <a href="http://www.ktul.com/story/26715617/gov-mary-fallin-responds-to-supreme-courts-gay-marriage-decision">in a statement</a>. “That is both undemocratic and a violation of states' rights. Rather than allowing states to make their own policies that reflect the values and views of their residents, federal judges have inserted themselves into a state issue to pursue their own agendas.” (States rights? Hmmm. Where have we heard that one before?)<br /><br />Other groups stopped short of recommending specific legislative remedies. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) contented itself with a strongly worded statement on the matter. Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo and Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco <a href="http://www.usccb.org/news/2014/14-163.cfm">said the high court’s act</a> “fails to resolve immediately the injustice of marriage redefinition” and added, “Our young people need encouragement to embrace the gift and responsibility of marriage as it truly is – a permanent, faithful, and fruitful gift of self between a man and a woman.”<br /><br />The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) restricted itself to an even terser response of a mere <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/9341">three sentences</a>: “The court’s decision not to take up this issue now means that the marriage battle will continue. Several federal courts – including those in the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 11th circuits – still have cases working their way to the Supreme Court. ADF will continue to remain a leader in the critical effort for the freedom of the people. The people should decide this issue, not the courts.”</p><p>However, at least one of marriage equality’s most diligent opponents appears to have conceded the battle. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose activists are largely responsible for bringing California’s doomed Prop. 8 into force <a href="http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile3/58494221-219/marriage-gay-church-decision.html.csp">announced</a>, “As far as civil law is concerned, the courts have spoken.”<br /><br />The Mormons have it right. While it’s impossible to say with reasonable confidence that the war for marriage equality has been won, it seems the long arc of the moral universe does indeed bend toward justice.</p><p>And this victory isn’t limited to the courts. Contrary to what the ADF, the USCCB, and the FRC claimed yesterday, recent polls have consistently shown that most Americans now support marriage equality; 55 percent, in fact<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/169640/sex-marriage-support-reaches-new-high.aspx">, according to a May Gallup poll</a>. Same-sex marriage bans may have reflected the will of the people years ago, but that’s no longer the case. And even if they did, the courts have a responsibility to enforce the Constitution in spite of popular opinion.<br /><br />It looks you've lost, values voters. Pack it up. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage-including-same-sex-marriage">Marriage (including same-sex Marriage)</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/marriage-equality">marriage equality</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage-bans">same-sex marriage bans</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/us-conference-of-catholic-bishops">US Conference of Catholic Bishops</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-organization-for-marriage">National Organization for Marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mary-fallin">Mary Fallin</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sen-ted-cruz">Sen. Ted Cruz</a></span></div></div>Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:59:10 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones10577 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/radical-reaction-extremist-groups-enraged-by-supreme-court-s-action-on#commentsMississippi Mayhem: Magnolia State Is The Latest To Consider Flawed ‘Religious Freedom’ Legislationhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mississippi-mayhem-magnolia-state-is-the-latest-to-consider-flawed
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Arizona’s Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a similar bill in late February, after a national outcry over its exceptionally broad definition of religious liberty.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Mississippi is the latest state to send “religious freedom” legislation to the governor’s desk, prompting fresh controversy over what critics believe is a license to discriminate against LGBT people.<br /><br />You could be forgiven for a sense of déjà vu. Arizona’s Gov. Jan Brewer <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/2/26/brewer-gay-law.html">vetoed</a> a similar bill in late February, after a national outcry over its exceptionally broad definition of religious liberty. Arizona’s bill, written by Focus on the Family affiliate the Center for Arizona Policy, was explicitly framed as a reaction to on-going lawsuits against a New Mexico photographer and a Colorado baker who refused service to LGBT clients.<br /><br />Had Brewer signed the bill, Arizona business owners could have refused service to anyone they deemed unsuitable. That would have violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.<br /><br />Supporters of Mississippi’s bill note that it’s narrower than Arizona’s, and more closely resembles the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). But as in Arizona, Mississippi’s take on “religious freedom” clearly includes the ability to discriminate against LGBT people.<br /><br />The bill already has a controversial history. The Mississippi House initially shelved it after civil liberties groups raised concerns about discrimination. But as <em>The</em> <em>Washington Post </em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/04/01/mississippi-passes-arizona-style-religious-freedom-bill/">reports</a>, legislators unexpectedly revived it and toned down some of the more problematic language. The revised version was rammed through the state House and Senate yesterday. Along the way, it picked up a provision to add “In God We Trust” to the state seal. <br /><br />Despite the revisions made by legislators, the bill is still being interpreted as a pro-discrimination measure by supporters and critics alike.<br /><br />MSNBC <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/mississippis-religious-freedom-law">reports</a> that Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council supports the bill. Perkins said in a statement that the bill would protect “a wedding vendor, whose orthodox Christian faith will not allow her to affirm same-sex ‘marriage,’” and that it would “prevent the government from discriminating against religious exercise.”<br /><br />Perkins also called the bill a “commonsense measure” intended to protect the rights of devout business owners. As usual, he made no mention of the rights of their LGBT customers.</p><p>The measure’s opponents say it’s really not about religious freedom.</p><p>“As a minster, it’s clear that this extreme bill is about legalizing discrimination, not protecting religious freedom,” <a href="http://www.deepsouthprogressive.com/2014/04/mississippi-passes-arizona-style-anti-gay-bill.html">said</a> the Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality. “Furthermore, the broad implications of this bill could result in discrimination aimed toward many communities.”</p><p>Mississippi currently provides no anti-discrimination protection for its LGBT community, which would deepen the “religious freedom” bill’s negative impact. <a href="http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/mississippis-so-called-religious-freedom-bill-passes-state-legislature">According</a> to the Human Rights Campaign, this lack of legal protection means that the proposed bill could severely undermine non-discrimination policies at public universities and certain professional licensing bodies. It could even allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense HIV medicines and hormone therapies.<br /><br />For LGBT residents in rural communities, the consequences of this bill would be disastrous—potentially even life-threatening, if they’re denied access to necessary medications.<br /><br />Mississippi is only the latest theater in the Religious Right’s desperate fight to breathe life into its failing culture war. Perkins and his allies in the Mississippi legislature don’t mention the needs of the LGBT community because as far as they’re concerned, those needs are collateral damage in their ongoing quest to control the lives of others. <br /><br />Gov. Phil Bryant has indicated that, unlike his colleague in Arizona, he’ll likely sign the bill that just reached his desk. If he does, his LGBT constituents will suffer for it. The Constitution was designed to protect the rights of the minority from the actions of the majority. That protection is at the heart of the First Amendment.<br /><br />It’s time for advocates of these unnecessary “religious freedom” bills to remember that.<br /> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/outside-workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice-including-military-prisons">Outside the Workplace: Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice (including in the Military, Prisons, Housing, Healthcare, etc.)</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mississippi">Mississippi</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-freedom-restoration-act">Religious Freedom Restoration Act</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lgbt-rights">LGBT rights</a></span></div></div>Wed, 02 Apr 2014 16:27:57 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones9803 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mississippi-mayhem-magnolia-state-is-the-latest-to-consider-flawed#commentsOutrage Over Oath: Religious Right Objects To New Conscience Rules At Air Force Academy https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/outrage-over-oath-religious-right-objects-to-new-conscience-rules-at-air
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Religious Right greeted the announcement with predictable rancor. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In a shift toward inclusivity, the Air Force Academy has <a href="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/28/air-force-academy-drops-help-god-honor-oath/">announced</a> that cadets will no longer be required to recite “So help me God” as part of the school’s Honor Oath. The decision followed a complaint by Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.</p><p>The Religious Right greeted the announcement with predictable rancor. And as they always do, they’ve rallied around their Orwellian definition of religious liberty. Somehow, making this sectarian clause optional discriminates against Christian cadets.<br /><br />Already inflamed by <a href="http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131015/NEWS01/131015033/">reports</a> an Army instructor had labeled it a hate group, the American Family Association blasted its supporters with calls for action. Their demands were simple: force cadets to use religious language -- in the name of freedom.</p><p>“Urge Air Force Academy Commandant Brig. Gen. Gregory J. Lengyel to preserve religious liberty by defending the oath and recommending the Academy keep the current language intact,” the AFA <a href="http://action.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147540433">beseeched supporters.</a></p><p>The AFA isn’t alone in its skewed take on the oath.</p><p>As <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/frc-cites-bogus-george-washington-story-promote-christian-nationalism">reported</a> by Right Wing Watch, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council took to his radio show to accuse Weinstein – and the Academy – of anti-Christian bias. “Weinstein has been trying to drive evangelicals out of the Academy for over a decade,” he told listeners.<br /><br />To Perkins, the Academy’s decision betrays the foundation of the democracy its cadets are trained to protect.<br /><br />“Lieutenant General Michelle Johnson said the oath is being reviewed because the Academy values an inclusive environment that promotes dignity and respect for all,” he railed. “Really? Does that include those like General George Washington who initiated the phrase, ‘So help me God,’ or does that inclusion only make room for those who want to dismantle America's Christian heritage?”</p><p>Perkins’ claim that Washington originated the phrase is reiterated by FRC senior fellow Ken Blackwell. Blackwell <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/kenblackwell/2013/10/23/mikeys-murfs-strike-again-n1730866">expands</a> on the story for Townhall.com, writing that Washington uttered the phrase while being sworn in as our nation’s first president.<br /><br />It’s a dramatic tale, but it bears no resemblance to fact. The story of George Washington and his Christian oath has been thoroughly <a href="http://hnn.us/article/59548">debunked</a>. There’s no historical evidence to support the assertion that Washington used the phrase when taking the oath; in fact, a legislative committee headed by James Madison excluded the words when drafting it.<br /><br />We know how Madison felt about separation of church and state. “The Constitution of the U.S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion,” he once <a href="https://au.org/files/pdf_documents/what-god-has-put-asunder.pdf">wrote</a>.<br /><br />It’s unlikely, then, that Madison would draft a sectarian oath. Or that Washington, a strict constitutionalist, would suddenly alter it at his inauguration. The simple truth is that Washington did not originate the phrase, and it’s disingenuous for the Religious Right to suggest otherwise.</p><p>The Air Force Academy also can’t lay claim to a long tradition of using the religious oath. The original oath, adopted in 1959, was secular. Academy leadership added the God reference in 1984.</p><p>Perkins and Blackwell are either unaware of these facts or have deliberately chosen to ignore them in order to perpetuate the myth that America is a “Christian nation.” They, like their friend David Barton, invent history just like they’ve invented a Christian national identity.<br /><br />There’s another factor to consider, too. The Air Force Academy has long faced criticism for its overwhelmingly evangelical Christian atmosphere. A 2005 study <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062200598.html">found</a> that the school, based in the evangelical stronghold of Colorado Springs, harbored a campus rife with inappropriate proselytization. As recently as 2010, the Academy’s leadership has been <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/cadets-for-christ-solicit_b_800382.html">criticized</a> for allowing this sectarian environment to flourish at a publicly funded school.</p><p>The school’s concern for inclusivity is long overdue. And let’s remember: Cadets who want to can still say “So help me God” as part of the oath. Those who don’t want to include it may omit it. The matter rests with the individual as guided by his or her conscience.</p><p>That is where it has always belonged. The new rules respect freedom for all, and that’s a constitutional reality the Religious Right’s bogus history can’t erase. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/air-force-academy">Air Force Academy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/military-religious-freedom-foundation">Military Religious Freedom Foundation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-blackwell">Ken Blackwell</a></span></div></div>Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:44:38 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones9093 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/outrage-over-oath-religious-right-objects-to-new-conscience-rules-at-air#commentsReligious Right Role Model: Why Can’t America Be More Like Uganda?https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/religious-right-role-model-why-can-t-america-be-more-like-uganda
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Museveni, the man the American Religious Right is celebrating, is hardly the paragon of Christian virtue they claim.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Just how radical is Religious Right leader Tony Perkins?</p><p>Consider this: Earlier in the week, the Family Research Council (FRC) president sent a tweet praising the president of Uganda and blasting those who oppose him.</p><p>“American Liberals are upset,” tweeted Perkins on Monday, “that Ugandan Pres is leading his nation in repentance – afraid of a modern example of a nation prospered by God?”</p><p>Now, it just so happens that Yoweri Museveni and the Ugandan parliament are again mulling a draconian law that would brutally punish gay people. The measure, which has been under consideration since 2009, originally included the death penalty for certain offenses, although some reports say that provision has been dropped.</p><p>Does Perkins’ tweet mean he supports the death penalty and long prison sentences for gay people? Oh, heavens, no!</p><p>When critics noted his exaltation of Museveni, Perkins indignantly said his comment had nothing to do with the gay-bashing law. He was merely praising Museveni for <a href="http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636533-for-the-sins-of-uganda-i-repent-museveni.html">a prayerful speech repenting </a>of the nation’s sins and dedicating Uganda to God. (Museveni renounced “satanic influence” and “all the evil foundations and covenants that were laid in idolatry and witchcraft,” and told God, “I hereby covenant Uganda to you, to walk in your ways and experience all your blessings forever.”)</p><p>But if Perkins wasn’t slyly endorsing the anti-gay bill, why did he issue his tweet now? The Museveni repentance took place in October. Why was Perkins just getting around to praising the Ugandan leader this week when the anti-gay hysteria has erupted again?</p><p>JP Duffy, FRC vice president of communications,<a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/tony-perkins-accused-of-praising-uganda-anti-homosexuality-bill-85754/"> told <em>The Christian Post</em></a>, “President Museveni's prayer was given at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ugandan independence from Britain. President Museveni did list ‘sexual immorality’ – as only one of 29 separate sins for which the nation should repent. Neither the event nor the prayer had anything to do with, or made any reference to, the proposed bill on homosexuality in the Ugandan parliament.”</p><p>Duffy added, “Bloggers may try to resurrect false rumors but we will continue to applaud President Museveni's prayer of repentance.”</p><p>Concluded Duffy, “Museveni took the very powerful step of dedicating Uganda to God when he said, ‘We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfill what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own.’”</p><p>So the bottom line for the FRC crowd is that they love Museveni’s declaration of a fundamentalist Christian theocracy, they just don’t want to be publicly associated with the extreme political agenda that goes with it.</p><p>And they aren’t the only ones lauding the Ugandan strongman. According to World Net Daily, Religious Right extremist Scott Lively believes <a href="http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/ugandan-president-repents-of-personal-national-sins/">Museveni is a model</a> for other national leaders.</p><p>“The Museveni prayer is a model for all Christian leaders in the world,” Lively, author of the book <em>The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party</em>, told the right-wing news site. “The leaders of the West have declined in proportion to their degree of rejection of God.</p><p>“This incident is also important as a contrast to the picture being painted of Uganda by the godless left of a backwards, violent and savage culture intent on murdering homosexuals,” Lively concluded. “On the contrary, Museveni is calmly and confidently setting the course of his nation by the guidance of the Bible, in a way that also shows great courage and resolve.”</p><p>Lively’s paen isn’t surprising. The Massachusetts pastor is deeply implicated in the Ugandan move to pass the anti-gay law. Earlier this year, a Ugandan gay rights group <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/us/ugandan-gay-rights-group-sues-scott-lively-an-american-evangelist.html?_r=0">filed suit in U.S. federal court </a>against Lively for his role in stirring up vicious anti-gay hatred in Uganda.</p><p>Ironically, Museveni, the man the American Religious Right is celebrating, is hardly the paragon of Christian virtue they claim.</p><p>Museveni has held power since 1986, and his rule has been far from beatific. According to a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/uganda-could-be-close-to-an-african-spring/2011/06/13/AGsdj9UH_story.html"><em>Washington Post</em> editorial,</a> Museveni brutally cracked down on protestors last year, killing several and wounding hundreds. His reelection in February 2011 – to a fourth five-year term – was marked by allegations of voter fraud and police intimidation.</p><p>To add to this sorry tale, a UN Group of Experts report has<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jsS1R_0val6zt1EycLk7GpTH8OZQ?docId=9f72ad30bef44830a63479ecc9335f4c"> accused Museveni’s brother </a>and others close to the Museveni government of helping the M23 rebels wage a horrific war in neighboring Congo.</p><p>Some <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/11/30/gerald-bareebe-and-brett-house-how-ugandas-kill-the-gays-bill-is-a-homophobic-farce/">observers think the </a>reappearance of the anti-gay bill is designed to distract attention from Museveni’s “increasingly autocratic” rule and his misappropriation of Western aid money. They say the Ugandan despot will derail the anti-gay bill at the last minute to keep aid funds flowing and hold himself out as a hero in the West.</p><p>There you have it: Museveni, Religious Right role model.</p><p>Hey, Tony, is Uganda the kind of “righteous” government that the Religious Right wants here?</p><p>Not for nothing has the Southern Poverty Law Center designated the Family Research Council a hate group.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/yoweri-museveni">Yoweri Museveni</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/uganda">Uganda</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/anti-gay-bill">Anti-Gay Bill</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/scott-lively">Scott Lively</a></span></div></div>Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:40:51 +0000Joseph L. Conn7790 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/religious-right-role-model-why-can-t-america-be-more-like-uganda#commentsExploiting Tragedy: FRC’s Tony Perkins Seeks To Politicize Office Shootinghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/exploiting-tragedy-frc-s-tony-perkins-seeks-to-politicize-office-shooting
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Perkins’ tawdry determination to milk this tragedy for all he can get is more proof of the simple lack of ethics that plagues many Religious Right organizations. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Last week, a young man named Floyd Lee Corkins walked into the offices of the Family Research Council (FRC) here in Washington carrying a 9 mm pistol in his backpack. He was disarmed by building manager Leo Johnson, who was shot in the arm during the scuffle. Corkins reportedly expressed opposition to the FRC’s anti-gay views.</p><p>We at Americans United were appalled by this act of senseless violence. The next day, we <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/americans-united-condemns-act-of-violence-directed-at-family-research-council">issued a statement</a> condemning the attack and saying that our thoughts were with the FRC staff as well as with Johnson and his family.</p><p>Americans United has had deep differences with the FRC over the years, but we thought it was important to make it clear that while spirited debate is perfectly acceptable, violence never is. Dozens of other groups said the same thing.</p><p>Unfortunately, FRC President Tony Perkins is determined to squander that goodwill. The day after the shooting, he held a press conference and denounced the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has designated the FRC a “hate group” for its baseless anti-gay rhetoric.</p><p>It sounded as if Perkins were trying to shift the blame from the shooter to an outside organization that had nothing to do with Corkins – a group that had, in fact, condemned the violence.</p><p>That was bad enough. A day later, Perkins went even further. During <a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/18/13351217-this-week-in-god?lite">a radio interview,</a> he decided that President Barack Obama shared some blame for the incident as well. Obama’s “attack on religious freedom,” you see, must have inspired Corkins.</p><p>Perkins added, “[What] we witnessed this past week at the Family Research Council” is “clearly linked to that same atmosphere of hostility that’s created by the public policies of an administration that’s indifferent or hostile to religious freedom.”</p><p>Nope. What we witnessed was an unhinged young man with easy access to firearms going on a violent spree. Unfortunately, it’s an all-too-common story in America these days.</p><p>It’s odd to see the FRC, a group that in most contexts claims to champion personal responsibility, being so eager to shift the blame from Corkins in this case. Why is that? Probably because Perkins knows his group can’t score cheap political points unless he finds some way to drag Obama and the FRC’s perceived enemies on “the left” into this. (I’m surprised the FRC hasn’t found a way to link the shooting to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the lack of official prayer in public schools. Maybe tomorrow.)</p><p>Perkins’ tawdry determination to milk this tragedy for all he can get is more proof of the simple lack of ethics that plagues many Religious Right organizations. (And these are the groups that feel entitled to lecture the rest of us on morality?) The man simply has no sense of decency. He ought to be ashamed of himself, but I’ve long since concluded that Perkins can’t experience that emotion.</p><p>If there’s one bright spot in all of this, it’s Leo Johnson. Johnson, who was not armed, stopped Corkins from getting into the work areas of the building. One can only shudder to think what might have happened if Johnson had not acted so courageously.</p><p>Johnson, who is expected to make a full recovery from his injury, is a real hero. It’s a shame he can’t find a better place to work.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span></div></div>Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:08:47 +0000Joseph L. Conn7454 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/exploiting-tragedy-frc-s-tony-perkins-seeks-to-politicize-office-shooting#comments‘Evil Is Here’: In Bid To Politicize Religion, FRC Demonizes Its Opponentshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/evil-is-here-in-bid-to-politicize-religion-frc-demonizes-its-opponents
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It’s disappointing to see religion misused in this way to divide America and literally demonize fellow Americans. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Political discourse in America is pretty mean already, and the Religious Right wants to make it worse.</p><p>The Family Research Council sponsored a “Watchmen on the Wall” conference for North Carolina clergy, and the harsh rhetoric there tells you how they view the world.</p><p>In the first place, when the FRC talks about “the wall,” they aren’t talking about the wall of separation between church and state. Just the opposite, in fact. They are talking about moving America as close as possible to a fundamentalist theocracy where their take on religion holds dominion over everyone.</p><p>To the Religious Right crowd, all political differences are a spiritual struggle between good and evil. They are “good,” and the rest of us are, well, you guessed it. Whether the issue is reproductive justice or marriage equality or any number of other public topics, they are on God’s side and everyone else is siding with Satan.</p><p>To implement its vision, the FRC wants to organize fundamentalist churches into a disciplined voting bloc and dominate the political process. Hence the gathering of 275 (mostly Baptist) clergy in Charlotte, one of a series of such meetings around the country.</p><p>According to <a href="http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/aug/10/conservative-pastors-rally-charlotte-ar-2508662/">the <em>Winston-Salem Journal</em></a>, FRC President Tony Perkins said, “They have decided that a child is a choice. They have decided that marriage is an issue of personal identity. Where is the righteous indignation in the church?</p><p>“The solution to what ails America,” he continued, “isn’t going to be found in Washington, D.C., it’s going to be found in the churches of America and in the men that preach the word of God.”</p><p>But Perkins’ recipe for change didn’t stop with spiritual reformation. According to the local newspaper, FRC staffer Kenyn Cureton offered attending clergy a voter impact toolkit they can use to register and “educate” congregants. He said some political issues can alienate churchgoers, but – not to worry – losing those people isn’t as important as spreading the message.</p><p>“When you take a bold stand for God Almighty on the pulpit of your church, there will be people in your church who say, ‘Finally, someone willing to take a stand,’ ” he said. “We are up against the mobilized, demonized forces of hell itself. Evil is not coming, it’s here.</p><p>“Get your place on the battle line,” Cureton thundered. “Put on the full armor of God!”</p><p>The <em>News Journal</em> says the pastors stood and cheered, clapping and raising their hands.</p><p>It’s disappointing to see religion misused in this way to divide America and literally demonize fellow Americans. I certainly have no objection to clergy speaking out on issues. And there’s nothing wrong with encouraging parishioners to learn about issues and vote.</p><p>But what the FRC miscreants are doing is something entirely different. They want conservative churches to mobilize on behalf of favored candidates, ostracize those who disagree with them and dominate the government.</p><p>One speaker was clear about the agenda. The Rev. Jim Garlow, a Newt Gingrich protégé and senior pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, blasted the 1954 federal law that bars churches and other nonprofits from endorsing candidates, claiming that the Christian community has suffered since its passage.</p><p>“A muzzling, a silence came on the pulpits of America,” Garlow argued. He said that because of the law, “this cultural myth, this wrongful definition of the separation of church and state has emerged.”</p><p>His allegations, of course, are completely untrue. Churches are not silenced. Pastors are free to address any public topics their conscience demands.</p><p>The only thing they can’t do – and the thing that rankles the Religious Right most – is turn their tax-exempt houses of worship into political action committees on behalf of candidates.</p><p>I guess the thing that bothers me most about all this is the Religious Right’s use of religion as a weapon against their fellow Americans.</p><p>When Cureton dismisses those who disagree with him as “evil” and the “mobilized, demonized forces of hell itself,” he’s going too far. It’s unkind, divisive and, frankly, un-American. Can’t we debate public issues without this kind of shrill harangue?</p><p>There’s more than a whiff of Iran-style theocracy here. Like the ayatollahs, these folks claim to be the personal representatives of God and, guess what, God has chosen them to rule everyone else!</p><p>The Religious Right is always worried about the imposition of shariah (Islamic law) in America; I’m more worried about Cureton, Perkins and the extreme fundamentalist Christian political movement.</p><p>There are a lot more Religious Right operatives in America than there are Muslims. And Muslims here generally support the separation of religion and government.</p><p>If only fundamentalist Christians did.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/lobbying-by-churches-and-religious-groups">Lobbying by Churches and Religious Groups</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/watchmen-on-the-wall">Watchmen on the Wall</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kenyn-cureton">Kenyn Cureton</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/north-carolina">North Carolina</a></span></div></div>Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:01:01 +0000Joseph L. Conn7434 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/evil-is-here-in-bid-to-politicize-religion-frc-demonizes-its-opponents#comments‘America For Jesus’: Is Religious Right Rally About Prayer Or Politics?https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/america-for-jesus-is-religious-right-rally-about-prayer-or-politics
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">All of this suggests that the Philadelphia rally is yet one more effort to politicize religion and tear down the wall of separation between church and state. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Religious Right activists are planning a big “America for Jesus” rally in Philadelphia this fall. The AFJ website said the Sept. 28-29 “solemn assembly” is intended “to summon together the whole body of Christ to pray for the church and our nation.”</p><p>But is this event really about prayer?</p><p>The sponsors are certainly a deeply partisan and radical lot. They range from prominent Religious Right leaders like the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins and High Impact Leadership’s Harry Jackson to the farthest fringes of theocratic Pentecostalism like<a href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/12/19/115855/89"> Lou Engle</a> and <a href="http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/04/13/gay-demon-exorcist-cindy-jacobs-to-share-stage-with-virginia-gop-attorney-general-ken-cuccinelli/">Cindy Jacobs </a>(demon-exorcising evangelists who consider themselves modern-day prophets and apostles).</p><p>Organizers seem intent on inflaming religious zeal and then directing that fervor into the November elections. The AFJ website features<a href="http://www.afj2012.org/"> a grim video with ominous music</a> that says America is sunk in “moral depravity” and facing a “spiritual emergency.”</p><p>In the July issue of <em>Charisma</em>, the leading Pentecostal magazine, publisher Steven Strang declares America in a “state of emergency” and says it’s time to “return to our Christian roots and foundations of freedom.” He complains specifically about President Barack Obama’s support for marriage equality, the threat of radical Islam and the alleged erosion of religious liberty and urges people to support the AFJ rally.</p><p>Strang then segues into politics.</p><p>Says Strang, “John Stemberger, leader of the Florida Family Policy Council, says that every four years we hear that this is the most important election of our lifetime – only this year it’s true!</p><p>“I agree with him,” Strang continued. “Let’s believe that God will raise up godly leaders at this critical time. And as we stand in faith, let’s each be praying that God will use us as agents of change.”</p><p>All of this suggests that the Philadelphia rally is yet one more effort to politicize religion and tear down the wall of separation between church and state.</p><p>What’s a good response to this kind of endeavor?</p><p>As it happens, Sept. 28-30 is also the date of “Voices United for Separation of Church and State,” <a href="http://www.voicesunitedconcerts.com/">a special Americans United project </a>devoted to celebrating individual freedom of conscience. Musicians and other entertainers are performing at concerts and shows in every state around the country to raise the visibility of the First Amendment and AU’s work.</p><p>We’re going to stand up for all Americans’ right to follow the faith of our free choice or to follow no spiritual path at all. We’ll demand that politicians serve the public interest, not a private religious agenda. We’ll insist that our laws be based on fairness and equality, not dogma. We’ll stand up for reproductive freedom, marriage equality and public policies based on social justice, not the doctrinal mandates of aggressive religious lobbies. </p><p>You can support “Voices United” by hosting a house concert, attending one, publicizing the project or donating.</p><p>The folks who want to merge <em>their</em> religion with <em>our</em> government are on the march. Those of us who favor freedom need to be active too.</p><p>PS: Tomorrow is Independence Day, and the Wall blog will be on holiday. Happy Fourth of July! Celebrate the birth of our nation and then get ready to defend the values it’s built on.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/america-for-jesus">America for Jesus</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steven-strang">Steven Strang</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lou-engle">lou engle</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cindy-jacobs">Cindy Jacobs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/harry-jackson">Harry Jackson</a></span></div></div>Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:17:46 +0000Joseph L. Conn7299 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/america-for-jesus-is-religious-right-rally-about-prayer-or-politics#commentsPerkins’ Parade Of Prevarication: FRC Head Lies About AU’s Lynnhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/perkins%E2%80%99-parade-of-prevarication-frc-head-lies-about-au%E2%80%99s-lynn
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It has been a tough couple of weeks for Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), issued a rather hysterical <a href="http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PG12D04">email appeal</a> for funds. No news there. Perkins does that all of the time.</p><p>This particular message, headlined “Help stop secular tyranny,” took a line that’s increasingly popular with the Religious Right these days: “Woe is me! We’re being persecuted.”</p><p>The message contained this bizarre assertion: “Recently, a top liberal attorney – the head of the anti-Christian Americans United for Separation of Church and State – said that COMMUNIST CHINA was a good model for how to deal with conservative Christians.”</p><p>Wait a minute. I work closely with that “top liberal attorney” and head of Americans United. He’s my boss, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn. It’s my job to keep tabs on his comings and goings, and I don’t remember anything like this.</p><p>It turns out Perkins was referencing a recent debate Barry took part in during the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville. That city is the home of Vanderbilt University, a private institution that requires all campus clubs to be open to all students. Fundamentalist Christians have been complaining about this, saying it will require Christian clubs to admit gay students.</p><p>Barry, noting that Vanderbilt is a private school that is free to determine its own policies, advised the crowd to “stop whining.”</p><p><em>The Christian Post</em> <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-clubs-told-to-stop-whining-meet-in-homes-like-in-communist-china-70069/">picked up the story</a> and quoted Barry as saying: “I would suggest that people in this position – to use a phrase on a button in my dentist office that he always wears when he works, it says, ‘stop whining.’ I'd say stop whining here. Why not do what evangelicals do: Go out into the world, out into the community [and] have your meetings, if you have to, off campus. Show your faith [and] meet with students not in a club room somewhere in the university, but in those home churches that kept Christianity alive during the darkest days of communist China.”</p><p>I think it’s pretty clear from the context what Barry was saying here: If Christianity can survive official persecution in China, fundamentalists in America will probably endure, despite this policy at Vanderbilt.</p><p>Perkins surely knows this, but I guess he felt compelled to distort Barry’s meaning to stir up his rabid followers. He may have had another motivation as well: Perkins is trying to draw attention away from his antics. You see, the FRC chieftain has hit a rough patch lately.</p><p>On Friday, Perkins <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/perkins-questions-about-obamas-birth-certificate-are-legitimate-issue">was slammed</a> for saying that the “birthers,” perhaps the biggest kooks in the right wing’s cacophonous collection of crackpots, have raised “a legitimate issue.”</p><p>A few days before that, Perkins was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/04/23/469291/tony-perkins-mike-and-ike/">ridiculed nationwide</a> when he attacked Mike and Ike, a popular fruit-flavored candy made by the Just Born firm of Bethlehem, Pa. As part of a publicity stunt to spark new interest in the brand, the company’s owners announced that Mike and Ike are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/business/media/mike-and-ike-campaign-concocts-a-dispute.html">splitting up</a> over creative differences.</p><p>Just Born never said Mike and Ike (who, by the way, <em>don’t actually exist</em>) were doing anything other than ending a business arrangement. Perkins immediately assumed it was a case of “gay divorce.”</p><p>On a radio spot, Perkins fulminated, “The duo is staging a gay divorce as part of a new ad campaign to draw in younger customers. In this society, even candy has an agenda!”</p><p>The Perkins salvo led to an amusing response from the Comedy Channel’s Jon Stewart, who <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-mocks-tony-perkins-remarks-about-gay-ads-through-perkins-cam-%E2%80%94-which-is-just-a-giant-penis/">mocked Perkins</a> while lurking behind a “Perkins Cam” that took the shape of a giant penis. (Beware: If you are offended by off-color humor, best skip this clip.)</p><p>Perkins also came under fire after he weighed in on the Secret Service prostitution scandal. According to Perkins, the fiasco was caused by the decision to drop the military’s “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy on gay service members.</p><p>“You cannot maintain moral order if you are willing to allow a few things to slide,” Perkins intoned.</p><p>The connection was so strained that <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/17/1084232/-Warning-The-logic-contained-in-this-diary-may-break-your-brain">one blogger</a> observed, “I am not sure how to react to this. It makes absolutely no sense at all, but apparently, gay people – the mere presence of us – causes straight people to do all kinds of heterosexual naughty stuff. I don't know. I am trying but it hurts my brain too much to attempt to make sense of this.”</p><p>So, yes, it has been a tough couple of weeks for Tony Perkins. But that’s nobody’s fault but his. He said crazy stuff and is being called on it. Going psycho on Barry Lynn won’t change that.</p><p>P.S. One more time, Tony: Americans United is not an “anti-Christian” organization. As you know, Barry Lynn is an ordained Christian minister. AU supports the right of all Americans to join the house of worship of their choice (Christian or non-Christian) or to eschew religion entirely. We simply insist that the government stay neutral on theological matters. If that makes us “anti-Christian,” we’re in good company because the Founders believed that too. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barry-w-lynn">Barry W. Lynn</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-and-ike">Mike and Ike</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/daily-show-0">Daily Show</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/birthers">birthers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/china">China</a></span></div></div>Wed, 02 May 2012 14:25:30 +0000Rob Boston7054 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/perkins%E2%80%99-parade-of-prevarication-frc-head-lies-about-au%E2%80%99s-lynn#commentsSevere Sermon: A Political Pastor’s Rant Exposes The Religious Right’s True Facehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/severe-sermon-a-political-pastor%E2%80%99s-rant-exposes-the-religious-right%E2%80%99s-true
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">As a nation, &#039;we&#039; don’t worship any god. But individuals are free to worship (or not) as they see fit.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Are you Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or a non-believer? If so, Louisiana preacher Dennis Terry has some advice for you: Accept that America is a “Christian nation” or leave the county. Now. You’re not wanted here.</p><p>“I don’t care what the liberals say, I don’t care what the nay-sayers say, this nation was founded as a Christian nation. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – there’s only one God. There’s only one God, and his name is Jesus,” thundered Terry during a Sunday rally for Rick Santorum at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church.</p><p>“I’m tired of people telling me that I can’t say those words,” he continued. “I’m tired of people telling us as Christians that we can’t voice our beliefs or that we can no longer pray in public. Listen to me, if you don’t love America, if you don’t like the way we do things, I’ve got one thing to say: GET OUT! We don’t worship Buddha, I said we don’t worship Buddha, we don’t worship Mohammad, we don’t worship Allah. We worship God, we worship God’s son Jesus Christ.”</p><p><em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/at-santorum-rally-a-pastors-fiery-remarks-reverberate/">reported</a> that Santorum applauded the March 18 remarks and that at the end of the sermon, Terry “held his hand over Mr. Santorum and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, and asked God to ‘have favor’ on him, to ‘watch over him, bless him and keep him safe.’” (Perkins is a member of the church.)</p><p>Santorum was asked by reporters about Terry’s comments and did some quick verbal fencing, insisting that he believes “very much in the freedom of religion and folks should be able to worship whoever they want to worship and bring their thoughts in the public square.”</p><p>Santorum <a href="http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/another-pastor-controversy/">also stated</a> that he wasn’t clapping to support those portions of Terry’s remarks and even said he “wasn’t quite listening” to that passage. (Really? How could you help but listen when Terry was shouting at the top of his lungs?)</p><p>For his part, Terry is being defiant.<a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/la-pastor-defends-comments-over-christian-nation-during-santorum-visit-71764/"> He told </a><em>The Christian Post</em> that the clip of him fulminating, which is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2emBxDOY7g">circulating on the web</a>, is somehow being distorted. He stands by his insistence that America is a “Christian nation.”</p><p>Let’s get a few things straight: As a nation, “we” don’t worship any god. But individuals are free to worship (or not) as they see fit. Some do indeed worship Jesus Christ. Others worship Allah. Jews worship the God of the Old Testament. Buddhists and Hindus worship according to the tenets of their faith.</p><p>All are Americans. All are welcome here. All enjoy equal rights under the Constitution. No one has to “get out” or do one blessed thing to make Pastor Terry happy. As much as he proclaims to love America, Pastor Terry is the one who is behaving in an un-American manner because he doesn’t respect or appreciate one of the best things about this nation: freedom of conscience.</p><p>As bad as Terry’s rant is, in a way it’s very helpful. People like Perkins have spent years trying to paste a pleasant and moderate face on the Religious Right. “Values voters” merely want their place at the table, Perkins has argued. They don’t want to run anyone else’s lives. They’re just a bunch of people who love God. What’s wrong with that?</p><p>We at Americans United have spent years pointing out why that’s not the case, and we’ve labored to expose the extremism and the hardcore religious-political agenda that undergirds the Religious Right.</p><p>It can be tough to get that message out. But along comes Pastor Terry, and he rips that mask of moderation right off. All of America can now see the ugliness lying beneath – the same old “my-way-or-the-highway” intolerance that has fueled political fundamentalism for decades. It’s the same old insistence by some preacher that his narrow interpretation of the Bible gives him the right to run your life. It’s the same old bogus history and twisted interpretation of the Constitution.</p><p>Don’t like what you see? You don’t have to “get out” as Terry suggests. But you can get a little angry. Get a little worked up over the people who dare to pose as patriots while they mock the very values of our Constitution.</p><p>But don’t stop there. Get to work, too. Work to defend the one thing that keeps people like Terry and all those who think like him from running your life: the wall of separation between church and state.</p><p>P.S. Several people have asked if this activity violates federal law, which prohibits tax-exempt charities and houses of worship from endorsing or opposing candidates. It’s unclear. Organizers of the event <a href="http://www.wafb.com/story/17187229/rick-santorum-makes-appearance-in-br">claim they invited</a> all of the candidates but that only Santorum showed up. Also, Terry’s sermon, as vile as it was, does not appear to contain an endorsement of Santorum. Americans United is continuing to investigate.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-santorum">Rick Santorum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dennis-terry">Dennis Terry</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/greenwell-springs-baptist-church">Greenwell Springs Baptist Church</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana">louisiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tony-perkins">Tony Perkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/family-research-council">Family Research Council</a></span></div></div>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:17:12 +0000Rob Boston6926 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/severe-sermon-a-political-pastor%E2%80%99s-rant-exposes-the-religious-right%E2%80%99s-true#comments